Nine Inch Nails at Riot Fest 2017, by Omar Cordy/OJC PICS
Riot Fest was started a few years back in the grand spirit of the old school one-off festivals of lore. It was intended to be special from the get-go and they have done a reasonable job of sandwiching themselves into a busy summer of Lollapalooza, Chicago Open Air, and many other destination festival shows. Having a mix of alternative rock, metal, Hip-Hop, indie rock, and more has helped carve out its own niche, and between special performances, varied food and beer options, late-night after parties, and basically the cool factor Chicago offers as one of the best cities in America, it’s no wonder fans flocked to the event from all over the world.Continue reading →
Riot Fest is coming next month in Chicago with headliners, Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age and Jawbreaker. The festival has announced the full set times and stages for the event, as well as the late night concert series. All times and ticket link details can be found below.Continue reading →
“I got to see Helmet! They played my favorite song (“Unsung”), and I got it on video on my iPhone,” said lead vocalist Blake Allison, sharing his favorite moments after his band Devour The Day completed playing on the Sunday of Knotfest. The band was coming off of a high, playing in front of a large crowd who showed up early to watch the band rock the side stage.
“My favorite was the macaroni and cheese. Amazing I wanted to eat so much more of it. The ladies in catering mean so much more business today. They know that metal guys will eat will so much at home on one plate,” added bassist Joey “Chicago” Walser, about one of his favorite moments during Knotfest.
Being they were one of the few rock bands to share a stage with variations of metal bands, they used this to their advantage and won over fans along the way. In fact, Walser said they found new fans within situations like this and attracted new fans.
“Absolutely for us, at these kinds of shows Blake and I experienced it during Ozzfest, which was super similar. To assume that everyone here to watch metal only and listens to metal is small minded. We get fans every time we play something like this. There’s got to be people out there and jump on Lambgoat and say we suck, but we don’t care. We had a great time. The energy was great.”
“In fact on Lambgoat, I think they said every band today on here sucked…except for Cannibal Corpse and Helmet!,” he said, with a chuckle.
Since Allison and Walser began Devour the Day in 2012, following the end of their previous band Egypt Central, they immediately began writing new material that resulted in becoming their debut album, 2013’s Time and Pressure.
“We were in a band called Egypt Central for a long time. Joey and I have been playing music together since we were teenagers. That band broke up for whatever reason…it doesn’t matter. The point is this band’s here and we’re making the best music that we have and we love this project, all the way to the soul of it. It’s something we never had before as musicians. We’re proud of who we are and what we’ve done and the music that we’ve made,” explained Allison.
Photo Credit: Melina Dellamarggio
Within their touring cycle, Devour The Day has since recorded a new album. Allison talked about it plus the story behind the album.
“We just went and finished doing another record recently. So we have another record coming out in 2016 called Sore.”
“It is about the struggle of the past few years. I think as much as we’ve talked about on the first record – our issues with the business, realizations of young men growing up doing this and touring. This record is more about the human being universally and how we all relate to each other. I think that’s through tribulation and how you respond to that tribulation. The record speaks to that on a spiritual level, on a political level, on an addictive level – a lot about the power of addiction. I think a lot of people can relate to that. The record is for human beings, not dogs,” said Walser.
“I’ll say the biggest change so far is that we were able to make this record the way we intended to. I think it’s one thing to make a record on your own – in your own garage or your own living room, like we did on the last one. But on this one, because they saw something in the band and what we’ve done before, they thought it would be a good idea to stay in the studio with a guy who knows what he’s doing. His name is Dan Korneff. He did the Killswitch Engage record, a lot of Breaking Benjamin and Paramore…the list goes on and on. So he gets it. He knows where our background and the music and what we listen to.”
“We didn’t have to fight for the record that we wanted. It was already set up that way. We couldn’t be there without Razor and Tie. We’re extremely excited about the future of this band and what’s going to happen with this record. I think if we didn’t sign with them we’d be in a different spot, none better or none worse – just different,” said Allison.
Being that Devour The Day had built a fan base more from a DIY standpoint since the formation of the band, they knew what they were seeking from a recording label as a partner.
“I would say, especially since most of the guys involved in our do it yourself kind of approach are still very much involved with the group. I think when they signed us, even in the initial meetings when we talked, Blake and I were pretty clear about our vision for what our band was and if they were interested in doing that. We turned down other deals from other labels. We have not found the right thing until we were with Razor and Tie. I think a lot of that had to do with the team that we have now being with us all the way through that,” said Walser.
He also talked about experiencing the DIY method helped them work harder towards achieving goals they were after.
“We feel that hard work really does pay off, as cliché as it sounds. We work our asses off for years to achieve a fraction of the eventual goal that we’re after. At this point, we want people to relate to our music because that’s what saved our lives. Music really got us through every weird situation. We could always go back to my bass and…she never cheats. She never lies,” said Walser.
Another aspect has been touring with heavier bands such as their current tour with All That Remains has made Devour The Day the missing void on an often heavier billed tour. Walser shared his thoughts on the matter.
“Blake one time said he had heard it through a couple podcasts or read that it’s almost for us, what we want to be is original and looking for the gaps within music. I don’t think we want to hear some band or CD that we like and go make that CD that sounds like…it’s pointless.”
“For us, we have such a large variety of influences. We’re just trying to show that what we are and how we are. I think that our fans that love where we’re coming from will get that and those who don’t will hate it and that’s perfectly ok. That’s the power of diversity.”
Within the lineup of each year’s Vans Warped Tour, there is often a hidden gem amongst the crowd of names who perform amongst their multiple stages. On the Full Sail University Acoustic Basement tent each day, Canadian artist Braden Barrie’s one man act SayWeCanFly is getting heard each day in front of curious fans. He is enjoying his time playing for new fans and has had this moment as a goal of his since his teenage years.
“Literally Warped Tour’s been my dream for a long time. Since I’ve been doing this more and more, I try to think past that and set higher goals, but it’s cool that I’m finally meeting a goal I’ve had forever. I’m so excited just to be there and be in that world,” he says, thinking about the opportunity on the tour.
Much of this year has been a growing process for Barrie, as he spent time touring with Metro Station across North America, promoting his album Between The Roses, as well as reaching fans on his various social media pages through a variety of YouTube videos and fans discovering his recordings on Bandcamp. This was all done by himself and without the assistance of a record label or distribution companies.
He talked about some of his favorite artists who helped shape his sound. “My first album I ever bought was by Relient K, which is kind of a Christian band. I grew up listening to a lot of Christian music, kind of like rock stuff. I think the first album that caused me to start writing was Awake by Second Hand Serenade, which was the first acoustic artist I got into.”
“After I found him I started listening to a lot of indie acoustic artists that literally play with their acoustic and sing. So that was just seeing that other people had done it and was possible to have a good song with just your voice and a guitar.”
“For some reason acoustic guitar has been my favorite sound. I feel so free when I play it. Just seeing other people do it inspired me to start writing it and realized it was possible.”
Actually this is his second time on the Warped Tour, following his brief stint appearing on one date in Toronto, ON on a prior year. “I’ve had a small, small taste. The first year I did the Acoustic Basement Tent and the second year I did the Ernie Ball Stage, which was a little bigger. It will be cool doing the tent the whole entire summer.”
So what was it that attracted him towards doing the Warped Tour? ”It was amazing because a lot of my fans end up going. A lot of times they can’t go to my shows on school nights but I know they always go to Warped Tour. I get to meet most of them.”
“I got to see most of the excitement. When the doors open, it’s a stampede of kids. It’s crazy how much passion is in the air. It’s really, really cool.”
Unlike many of his fellow tour mates, Barrie originates from a small town in the Ontario province in Canada. He talked about where he is from and how that affected his work ethics towards getting his music heard.
“I grew up in a place called Lindsay, Ontario. I didn’t realize how out in the middle of nowhere it was until I drove there from Pennsylvania. It was a 13 hour car drive and seeing how much distance it actually takes to get there. I think there’s like 25,000 people there. It’s actually really a nice little town. They have everything that you need. It always looks really nice. At first it was really hard to think past it and realize there’s more to the world. That was what drove me. I just wanted to get out of here. Everyone around me has this small town mindset and they’re going to stay there their whole lives. That didn’t feel ok to me.”
“I’m thankful to have grown up in such a small place. Everything I’ve experienced outside of that is amazing.”
Unlike many acoustic acts that perform on the live circuit, Barrie has mostly performed solo and without a backing band. He has devised a strategy on how to craft his music without the assistance of a backing band and has won over fans on each stop of a tour.
“I’ve jammed with my friends for fun, but Saywecanfly has always been me. When I record albums, I’ll have people come in and play. I had a guy come in and play cello and electric guitars. The live shows have always been me.”
The idea of a backing band has crossed his mind at times, as this scenario has been presented before. But he has reiterated that it may be a possibility at a later time, once he feels ready to do so.
“I’ve thought about the whole band thing but I want to get as good as I can on my own before I do that and before I take that step. I have a long way to go with that still. I feel like I want to get as amazing at playing solo so I feel super comfortable. It’s a process. I used to be super shy. I had a hard time playing for ten people. Every show I learn to be a little more comfortable, so I want to get way better at that.”
While his sound leans upon the singer-songwriter side, being around the Warped Tour has attracted him to some heavier sounds as well. But finding him in the mosh pit may not happen right away. “I love hardcore music. Underoath is my favorite band. No I wasn’t scared of mosh pits. I tried it once and got injured so bad. So I always stuck to the acoustic side. “
“When I started playing guitar, I started on electric guitar and I learned a lot of blues. I was listening to Stevie Ray Vaughn, BB King and stuff like that. So that was before I started singing. So I had those roots too.”
Lastly, he shared some of the artists on the Warped Tour he is excited to see while on the tour. “Definitely Pierce The Veil. I love Pierce The Veil. I love them because they incorporate so many different instruments in their songs. Their songs are so complex. This band called This Wild Life – these two dudes who play acoustic music. I’ve been listening to them a lot lately. A band called Pvris. They just put out an album. They’re kind of like Paramore and Lights. The girl who sings for them is super talented. Never Shout Never is one of my influences way back in the day. It will be cool to hang with him too. I’m excited to hang with everyone. I don’t listen to a whole lot of music, which is weird, so I don’t know a whole lot of the bands playing. But it will be cool to discover a lot of the bands playing and make friends.”
